We bought Bocci from Home Depot & so far so good. It is fireclay. It is an undermount though. We were concerned farmhouse apron sinks are on a downward trend. No research behind that, but just that it's feeling too trendy & dated.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/BOCCHI-Sotto-Undermount-Fireclay-32-in-Single-Bowl-Kitchen-Sink-with-Bottom-Grid-and-Strainer-in-White-1362-001-0120/303266404

I think you can get away with a farmhouse style if the rest of your kitchen has maybe more "timeless" not 100% on trend things. A mixture of elements will help with longevity of the design.
I've stayed up till 2 am many a night researching all the farmhouse sinks. Clearly one can drive themselves crazy trying to find the perfect one. I get nervous looking at ones that are "super reasonably priced" and then either can't justify serious $$ or find some harrowing review that makes me shudder about spending major bucks. I think we've finally settled on the Houzer mostly b/c it's reasonably priced but also has an undermount sink in fireclay that works for our island. (Our main sink will be apron front and the island will be undermount but both in white fireclay). So it came down to size and looks on both. I also did not want one with sloping/angled apron fronts which so many have. I loved the idea of the Blanco Ikon Siligrant b/c in a previous house we had a laundry room siligrant sink that was a true workhorse dream but the look of it does not go with our kitchen. We are months away from our remodel so keep us posted with what you find!!

I read that the fire clay wasn't as durable....disagree or agree?

"We were concerned farmhouse apron sinks are on a downward trend."

My sink replacement customers apparently haven't gotten the memo. At least a third of my jobs are apron style sinks and those are probably split evenly between the Elkay Quartz Luxe and stock and custom stainless steel. Now and again a Kohler Whitehaven cast iron:

Stainless scratches, but it's easy to refinish. That 3943 was scuffed out of the box. I matched the finish before the customer ever saw it. It can't be found now. The grid comes with the sink.

All these sinks are short apron style for retrofitting into regular cabinets. If you're getting new cabinets, you can have a full depth apron.

I love the apron sinks because they're fast. I can drop the old, saw, profile, and polish the new cutout dust free, and install the sink with plumbing in as little as 4 1/2 hours while shoehorning a 33" Kohler 3821 into a 33" cabinet takes 8 hours and they pay nearly the same:

Get a grid for the bottom of whatever sink you choose. Scratching problem solved.

IMO stainless is still the best choice for sinks . If you must have an apron front there are many to choose from. I personally would never have apron front sink I see no advantage to the style and I have seen way too many old farm sinks that were cast iron and just chipped all over. I like a large one bowl undermount , I find the grids get yucky and need to be cleaned and IMO just one more step than I care to take.

This thread is interesting, because there are so many other threads on this forum with apron front sink enthusiasts that this talk of being dated seems out of place and time. Look at Joseph Corlett's pics - you don't notice that the counter materials are dated, because those sinks look fabulous.

I would not recommend fireclay. There are so many reports of fireclay sinks crazing over time, especially if you have a disposal, but even if you don't. Look at enameled cast iron like the Kohler Whitehaven (which has the extra bonus of the corner drain, which once you have it, you will never want a center drain again). Use a sink grid with enameled cast iron.

Also look at stainless steel, like the Elkay Crosstown, but there are others. Stainless steel will scratch, but so what. The scratches blend quickly, and you don't notice them. Or get a grid for the stainless steel sink too. I don't think you need a grid with a stainless steel sink but many people have them anyway; that is personal preference. The Elkay ECTRUF30179RC comes with the grid for free.

One advantage that is not discussed here is the ergonomic advantage. An undermount sink has a 4" or so counter strip in front of the sink. That causes the body to have a slight lean as you are reaching into the sink or to the faucet. That is one reason why people can get backaches at the sink; it's that slight lean. With a good apron front sink, your body is right up against the sink. Note: the cheaper stainless steel apron sinks have a thick apron front of 4" or more, as thick as any counter strip. Don't get those.

A big single is never dated. “Farmhouse” is experiencing the usual backlash from lemming overload that you see when a trend has passed. Just like the Tuscan kitchen. Which is making popularity inroads again on the edges of design trends. Just like when most of America was almost finished getting rid of their brass, and the higher end was putting it back. Just like the brief revival of shag carpet the second time. Everything is cyclical. And apron sinks are on the down cycle. Worktop ledge sinks are the hot thing now.

Live_wire_oak, I do not agree. The Tuscan kitchen came in and out in a span of 7-8 years. I think shag carpets stuck around for 12-15 years. They're coming back now only as a small area rug, an accent piece, not the wall-to-wall of the '60s-70s. The apron front sink has been around for about 150 years. That kind of longevity does not fulfill the definition of "trend" or "fad", and your analogies are erroneous.

So from 1910 to 2000, when no apron sink or subway tile could be found anywhere for love or money doesn’t count? A 90 year gap does not equate to timeless. It equates to people fooling themself that referencing antique choices that are reinterpreted for modern production are echoing some simpler earlier time. I don’t see anyone wanting to go back to the hand pump that supplied the sink. Or the coal stove that heated that water. Just the “looks”. It’s faux nostalgia. It has nothing to do with reality.

"I personally would never have apron front sink I see no advantage to the style."

Patricia:

Neither did I until a wheelchair-bound client wheeled up and pointed out how much easier access she had to her new apron front sink with the 3cm thick front top rail gone.

If you're trying to minimize a seam in your countertop, nothing does a better job than an apron front sink. 25 1/2" to 5 1/2" and half of that is covered by the faucet escutcheon. The faucet covers the rear of what's left of the exposed seam. So you end up with a 1" long seam in front of your faucet. If your top has a lot of movement, that's a godsend.

"If you must have an apron front there are many to choose from."

True if you're getting new cabinets. If you're retrofitting, you've got to have a short apron and that narrows selection. The Quartz Luxe apron front only comes in a 36", so unless you have a 36" cabinet or larger, no QL for you. And no existing "swoop" with one bowl larger than the other unless you provide material match or go with my custom stainless.

I just looked up my last 10 sales. 7 apron fronts; three undermounts.

"Farmhouse" sink presently refers to the apron front sinks popular today but these are more closely related to the "Butler" sinks of England and the Belfast sinks of Ireland. I love to watch British mysteries and often see these sinks in the kitchen - for example the Father Brown mysteries set in 1950's have a butler sink in his kitchen. In the United states, the large, usually cast iron sink was popular early to mid 20th century. These also often, but not always had an exposed front, so could be thought "apron front" and the "short apron" sinks today evoke this look to me. In the mid 80's I lived in a 1950 built house in a 1950 built neighborhood and many homes in the area still had these sinks. From about 1960's to 1990s, the over mount and then under mount sinks were popular, but I recall seeing a 1990's this old house with an apron front sink - It was a London home - but as we have become more globalized, styles from other countries are becoming more world wide.

What will really determine whether or not the "farmhouse" sink is timeless as opposed to trendy is how useful the style is. I expect the name "apron front" will replace "farmhouse" as that implies less a style and more a description. The fact that they have been used in some form or another in England and Ireland for over 300 years does imply they function well. I have had many sinks in my day and I like "apron front" style the best - large, close to me - a comfortable fit.

I am not sure if these sinks would be called "apron front" - exposed fronts and in one case, an "apron" too:) I am thinking the high back with faucet decreased in popularity when sinks started to be placed in front of the more contemporary sized kitchen window. I actually think the wall mount is more functional with less water on the counter - if you can reach it since counters are wider. These sinks would have been found in many a farmhouse, but in city homes too.